Sayonara North America hardcourts. Hello, European clay. For the Americans, it’s a time of anguish, when even such simple matters as making a phone call or ordering dinner exacerbate the tensions of playing on a less than familiar surface.

The U.S. holds the distinction as having the most fat kids in the world, but India is catching up, so doubles whiz Leander Paes in leaping into action — as a super hero.

The U.S. is on the verge of reaching the Fed Cup final and capturing the title for the first time since 2000. But Saturday at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Lindsay Davenport revealed the U.S.’s chances have lessened considerably without the participation of either Venus or Serena Williams.

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS World No. 1 Roger Federer has been pumped about the Beijing Olympics, but now the Swiss is backing off on his commitment to play based on painful memories of past Olympics where he actually had to sit next to people in transportation and talk to other athletes: “It was [...]

Americans Venus Williams and Lindsay Davenport are the drawing cards next week at the mouthful ‘The Regions Morgan Keegan Championships and The Cellular South Cup’ in Memphis, where the two former No. 1s are likely to meet in the semifinals.

Justine Henin has won her last 30 tour matches since losing to Marion Bartoli at Wimbledon… ADHEREL Serena Williams has now won 25 of her last 26 matches at the Australian Open… How the hell does the tallest doubles team pairing ever, 6-foot-10 Ivo Karlovic and 6-foot-9 John Isner, lose to two Argentines in doubles?… [...]

2008 is going to different year for the Swiss star than it was in 2007, 2006 and 2005 for the simple reason that it’s an Olympic year.

With Justine Henin putting up a Roger Federeresque year in 2007, the resurgence of the Williams sisters and the arrival of two instant crowd favorites from Serbia, the WTA is coming off a pretty good year.

The top women’s tennis stars are opting for exhibition play or rest as none of the Top 10 players on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour are in action as the 2008 season kicks off this week at the Mondial Australian Women’s Hardcourts in Gold Coast, and at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand. ADHEREL [...]

There’s a strong implication recreational players can gain from the 2007. The main focus is on the world’s two best players, and as I see it, it can be grasped not just by recreational adults but also by juniors, parents, and coaches.